The Second War
by CrystalPhoenixFlames
Summary: It has been one year after the war. Dearka is caught up in his feelings for the Natural girl he came to know on the ArchAngel. When it seems that they'll never meet again, a sudden turn of events will change the world, forever... AC DM KL Finished!
1. Arrival

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Seed, but you know that right?

* * *

It has already been a year after the end of the war. Kira and Lacus set out to live a peaceful life on the PLANTs, Athrun went with Cagalli as her protector, and Yzak became part of the ZAFT Council with Dearka as his guard. Most of the other characters that are still alive stayed in Orb to rebuild their lives. Now, the story begins… 

…

Yzak paced around the room, thinking about the new issues the Council had just discussed. Finally giving up, he glanced over at Dearka sitting on the couch. The blond stared out at the stars through the ship's window, completely drowned in his thoughts. The faint starlight reflected in his eyes, which looked painfully empty to Yzak. Yzak slumped down on the other end of the couch and sighed. Dearka snapped out of his daydreaming and turned to look at Yzak.

"Too much work, eh?" he said, all usual sarcasm gone, which was not like him at all. Yzak noticed the change all too well in the past year, ever since they returned to ZAFT. The Dearka he once knew seem to have just faded away.

"You seem to have your own problems to sort out," the silver-haired boy responded.

Dearka turned to stare at the stars again. "There has not been one waking moment that she hasn't been on my mind," he whispered.

Yzak laughed under his breath. "Well, then go tell her that. I can't have a bodyguard whose mind is constantly on the safety of the Natural girl he loves."

Dearka winced when Yzak said "love" and a bit of us usual tone returned. "What do you mean? I don't love Miriallia…" he trailed off.

"I'm starting to doubt what you say," Yzak joked. Dearka just glared at him. Yzak laughed, "Now that's the Dearka we're been missing."

Just then, a transmission shot throughout the ship and to every other communication center in the Earth and outer space. Numerous pictures of a mass array of different types of mobile suits appeared along with dozens of mobile suit carriers flying for space.

"Those are the models ZAFT always used for normal combat," Yzak muttered. "We usually use only a few in a battle, but there must be at least three thousand just shown; they have a whole army of different GINNs!"

A male voice began speaking. "Attention all Coordinators! You are to surrender at once to Gold Cosmos. If you do not abide by this order, we will take action and destroy your precious PLANTs one at a time until you do. We have already controlled all of Earth, including Orb. You have 48 hours to respond! I look forward to your… cooperation." The transmissions stopped as abruptly as it had began, leaving a pair of Coordinators and the rest of ZAFT and the PLANTs baffled.

"Gold Cosmos? I thought they were blue," Dearka said. However, the real words he wanted to utter were, "Miriallia is trapped in Orb."

"Gold Cosmos was formed by one of the members of Blue Cosmos after Azrael's death. He is the elder brother of Azrael himself. They said that this group is merciless in its campaign and will execute or arrest anyone who have associated with Coordinators. In other words…"

"Orb is in a total lockdown by Gold Cosmos," Dearka spoke.

"Yes," Yzak said solemnly. "No one is allowed into or out of Orb."

…

"Hurry!" one of the engineers yelled. Gold Cosmos was entering Orb and their forces were barely holding their ground. They loaded the rebuilt Freedom, Buster, Duel, and Justice Gundams into the ArchAngel. Buster and Duel were modified so now they were powered by nuclear energy like Freedom and Justice and each also received a set of wing plates for flight in the atmosphere. Athrun observed the scene while Cagalli entered the ArchAngel. "You better board too," one of the workers said. Athrun nodded and climbed into the red and white battle ship after Cagalli.

Athrun turned to the worker, "Thank you for doing this. I know it's a big risk for all of you."

"No problem, it's our job. If they get their hands on these suits, we'd be dead anyway."

One of the hangar walls exploded just as Justice was loaded. The doors closed after Athrun and the enormous ship took off with the four mobile suits and everyone that had been in Orb that was once part of its crew. That included Athrun, Cagalli, Sai, and Miriallia. The Orb forces outside released a series of smoke bombs to shield the ArchAngel from view. They were able to fly out unseen until they were at a safe distance and out of range of the Gold Cosmos ground forces.

"We're returning to space," Sai said with mixed feelings. Miriallia observed the battle below on her monitor.

"I'm sorry we had to retreat like this, but if Gold Cosmos gets its hands on these Gundams, then it would be over for the PLANTs," Murrue said. She then turned to the crew, "Thank you for coming with us. It would be just like the old days now, huh?"

Although the ArchAngel could not be pursued by any of the Gold Cosmos forces on the gorund, they were well prepared for them in space. "Level one battlestations!" Athrun launched in Justice. All of the ship's guns and cannons were set into action once more. Slowly, the ArchAngel moved closer to the safety of the ZAFT forces.

"We're not going to make it!" yelled Sai. The engines were hit and their progress slowed even more.

…

Yzak ran into the room where Dearka was dozing. "We've received a distress signal from the ArchAngel! They need our help!"

Dearka quickly went to the control room with Yzak. "Sirs, a transmission for you!" called out one of the crew both Dearka and Yzak. They approached the screen.

"Dearka!" Miriallia yelled into the screen. Dearka's heart skipped a beat and he was lost for words.

"Miriallia…"

"There's no time for this!" Yzak mumbled to Dearka. Then he spoke to Miriallia, who had a funny expression also. "What's your situation?"

"We're being chased by Gold Cosmos forces. Buster and Duel are on board! Is there anyway you can get to them?" A sudden explosion took place. Miriallia looked at them in dismay. "I should change what I said, only Buster is accessible; they just blew up the exit for the hanger where Duel was so we can't launch it!"

Dearka finally regained his ability to speak. "Hey, launch Buster toward our forces!"

"What? Are you crazy?"

"I'll pick it up."

"Hey…"

"What?"

"Be careful…" Dearka was caught again in the same situation as a year ago.

"Thanks. You too," he responded.

…

"Launching, Buster!" The green Gundam was thrown out into the middle of the war with as much force as the catapult could muster. Dearka boarded a carrier and flew towards Buster. With the ZAFT guns covering his ship, he found himself safely inside the cockpit of Buster after jumping off the carrier and barely grabbing on to the Gundam.

"I'm in!" he said through the microphone as he activated Buster. Dearka whirled Buster around and charged for the battle. "Miriallia, so we meet again…" he thought.


	2. Reunion

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

* * *

"General Unilateral Neuro-link Dispersive Autonomic Maneuver system activated." The various controls and screens all lit up, illuminating the cockpit. Dearka flipped several more switched as Buster fully turned on. He grabbed the piloting controls, once again feeling the comforting metal beneath his hands.

"Let's see what you can do now, Buster," he said as he charged into the battle. The modification had vastly improved the flight capability in space, so dodging was no problem now for Dearka. He aimed for a line of mobile suits firing at the ArchAngel and pulled his beam rifle into place, pulling the trigger to fire.

…

The ArchAngel shook as more beams and missiles exploded onto the battleship. Miriallia looked on hopelessly until she saw a yellow beam from the direction of the ZAFT forces disintegrate a mass of Gold Cosmos units. Another array of guns fired upon the enemy as the ZAFT forces moved into place. Finally after a period of nonstop shooting and explosions, the ArchAngel made it to the protection of the ZAFT forces and the Gold Cosmos space unit was obliterated.

Several other ships helped pull the ArchAngel into a port in a nearby PLANT for repairs. The battleship was carefully transported into the spacestation and the gates closed. After docking, the crew came out to relax a bit while Murrue, Athrun, and Cagalli went to see the ZAFT Council to decide on the next course of action and to relay to them what happened in Orb.

"Their forces are too large for a quick ending to the war," one of the representatives announced. He displayed a projectile of pictures taken of the Gold Cosmos forces. They were vastly outnumbered. "In order to even the power, we'll need more ships along with all four of the Gundams with fully trained and experienced pilots." He looked at Yzak, Athrun, and finally Dearka, who was made by Yzak to attend the meeting.

Athrun laughed, "Well, its about time Kira got off from his vacation." Cagalli looked overjoyed at the thought of seeing her brother again. "He's currently at the PLANT that we're in, so we can ask him to help out personally tomorrow."

"Very well, meeting adjourned." They all rose and filed out of the meeting room. Yzak rushed up to Dearka and placed his hand on his guard's shoulder.

"Well, tell her now," he muttered. Dearka shook his head to imply that his answer was still "no."

"I don't think now's the time. There's a war and everything starting; it's just too distracting." Dearka looked away. "If I do tell her, then it'll just make her sad if I die too…"

"Die? After going through all that to save you last time, you still think you can die with me around?" joked Yzak. "But if you don't think it's time, then you'd better promise me you'll tell her after we get rid of Gold Cosmos."

"Since when do you care?"

"Since I'm your friend, ha. What? Fine, since you're too caught up in your daydreaming about a Natural to protect me." Dearka gently shoved Yzak in response, who laughed.

…

Kira stared at the sky contentedly, sitting in the grass with Haro's jumping around him in vibrant colors. He turned to Lacus, who just came and tranquilly sat down beside him. She sighed, "Kira, it's time for you to go back once again."

"I know," the Coordinator chuckled, "I bet that Athrun and Cagalli are both coming today to get me. It will be great to see them."

Several hours later, one of the orphans came yelling, "Kira, there's some people here to see you!" Kira thanked her and rose from his seat. Along with Lacus, he walked to the house to greet his friends. They were all overjoyed to see each other again.

"Kira!" called Cagalli as she hugged him.

"Long time no see," Lacus said to both of them. The Haros bounced around her repeatedly greeting the guests with a "Haro!"

Athrun nodded. "It's really good to see you both again. However, it pains me to say this, but we're in a dire situation and a long-term reunion is not an option at this point." Lacus looked at him with understanding. He went on to short, summarized description of Gold Cosmos' rise to power.

"We need you to pilot the Freedom. Orb's rebuilt it," Cagalli finished for him.

"When they broadcasted, I thought it was really just another joke. I think I somehow already knew that I had to go back, back to the war that won't stop…" Kira said sadly. He looked up at Athrun, "However, if I can do something to permanently end this war, then I will!" Lacus walked up next to him and turned to face him.

"May I come? I promise I won't be in the way…"

…

Miriallia woke up to find herself in the PLANT that the ArchAngel docked in instead of Orb. She sighed, "So it wasn't a dream." She dressed and went outside for a walk. The PLANT was a lot like Orb. Roads crisscrossed here and there, fields of grass covered the landscape, and little artificial, yet realistic streams ran down the hillside. "Tolle…" The Natural walked aimlessly around for most of the morning until she accidentally collided with someone in her daydreaming.

"Dearka?" Miriallia gasped in surprise. He looked away.

"Uh, sorry, wasn't looking where I was going," Dearka said, scratching his head and blushing like he always did when he was nervous.

She laughed, "Me either. Care to accompany me back?" He nodded okay. They walked back together to the space station, neither saying a word.

…

Azrael Kogane stood over a map of all PLANTs and current ZAFT forces in the area. He was very much like the younger Azrael. Kogane had light blond hair combed back with several strands of hair tied back and bright light blue eyes. He pondered over his decision for next operation for the downfall of the Coodinators. The door opened and one of the soldiers entered.

"Sir Azrael, the PLANTs have not surrendered despite the broadcast," he said. The soldier glanced at the map. It was filled with x's and little diagrams of the PLANTs of all twelve sectors. There must be at least several thousand people inhabiting each of the PLANTs. He shouldn't be feeling any of this, but he felt sickened at the fact that they had just threatened to kill so many innocent people. However, he was a soldier, and he does not ask, just do. He has never met a Coordinator, yet he was taught to hate them.

Azrael nodded, "I see… Is there any other bad news you need to relay to me?"

"The battleship known as the ArchAngel has made it to the enemy forces. So, we've lost the Gundams that they have redeveloped to ZAFT also. We've been unable to take it down despite our space forces' efforts. So, what are our next orders?"

Azrael continued staring at the map, lighting his face in the dark room. "Destroy the PLANTs as decreed."

"But sir!"

"Send out the order now!"

"Yes sir!" The soldier went out. Azrael continued to look on unmovingly at the little red marks and pictures on the map.

"Well, little brother, I'll show you how to correctly and fully exterminate our… impurities…" he muttered.


	3. Meeting

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

* * *

The guards that always stood at the door during a ZAFT Council meeting shuffled around nervously despite their usual stone-like complexion. Their 48 hours were up and Gold Cosmos forces had began to gather near the moon close to the lunar base that was destroyed by Genesis. A few thousand mobile suits were reported to have already reached their rendezvous point.

The doors of the dark meeting room closed after the arrival of Andrew Bartfeldt. He sat down beside Murrue, yawning. "Geez, I finally get to visit the PLANTs for one week and they pick this time to mess around. I was having a nice vacation too."

Murrue chuckled, "Well, nothing we can do now." They fell silent as Yzak started the meeting by turning on the computer hologram program. A map appeared suspended in midair in the middle of the representatives. It was filled with crisscrossing lines and dots signifying where the ships were, the enemy in red and their own in blue.

"As you can see, Gold Cosmos has chosen the old lunar base as their starting point. It seems that we have missed a lot in their development," Yzak said. He pressed another button and an additional hologram showed in front of the map. It was a picture taken of the actual gathering area. Everyone present either gasped or widened their eyes in astonishment as the picture came into focus. Painted on at least 20 of the larger ships was the familiar symbol for nukes.

"They're planning to use nuclear weaponry again? Didn't the Earth Alliance agree to not produce any more of them?" Kira asked.

"Apparently, Gold Cosmos got their hands on the data," Athrun grumbled through clenched teeth.

"If this is the case, then we have no choice but to fight back. We have to destroy the nukes before they come within firing distance of the PLANTs," Lacus said. The room nodded in silent agreement. "Now that we know what to do, how do you all plan on carrying it out?"

Yzak changed the screen back to the map, getting rid of the picture of nukes. "They would probably head straight for the PLANTs in about six hours. That would give us enough time to set up a line of defense." Everyone started talking at once about possible courses of action.

"Sir, I would like to offer a strategy," Yzak said to the Head Chairman who nodded a "yes." He magnified an area not far from their intended defense, showing a place marked by debris. "These are the remains of Genesis and Jachin Due. If we can maneuver some of our fleet through this, then we can have them surrounded. The ArchAngel and the Gundams should stay in the front line of defense because those are the part of our forces that Gold Cosmos are aware about. If they see them missing, then they would suspect something."

The Head Chairman, who was listening intently, stood up and announced, "Your plan is the best we can get in such a short term basis. I give you permission to use whatever forces necessary to carry it out!"

"Thank you sir!" Yzak said, saluting. The meeting was adjourned.

…

At the hidden Gold Cosmos headquarters, three of the soldiers watched Kogane Azrael board a shuttle for space. "That man knows what he's doing," one of them muttered.

"Why do you say that?" another asked.

"He's going on the last shuttle heading for space. Why do you think we're not allowed to go? All the leading officers in Gold Cosmos already left."

"I still don't know what you're getting at."

"The reason why we're still here is because he doesn't trust us. He doesn't want any followers who even have a slight doubt about Coordinators being monsters." Azrael turned to look at the base and smirked right before he entered the shuttle.

"I have a very bad feeling about this, we should leave," the third said.

As the shuttle left the mass driver, Azrael flicked open a case revealing a switch, which he pressed. The base below him exploded in a great display of fire and smoke. "And that takes care of any spies," he said as he leaned back in his seat as his shuttle headed for the command ship, the Lunarian.

…

Miriallia caught up with Dearka after the meeting. "You're going to fight in the Buster aren't you?" she said accusingly.

"Is there something wrong with that?" Dearka asked, astonished at her sudden appearance.

She looked away. "No, not really. I just thought that being that guy's guard meant that you would be inside a battleship instead of a mobile suit." Dearka looked at her, not knowing how to respond. She saw his expression and retorted. "Don't get me wrong, I don't care. I just… care a little. Oh, what am I saying?"

Dearka smiled in relief because it wasn't him that really got her mad. Instead he said, "You're saying what you're trying to say."

"That doesn't make sense."

"Hey, I don't what to say. Let's go for a walk before everyone decides to blow each other up."

"That's not funny." They headed for exit facing the closest park. Yzak watched them leave from behind, smiling before he turned the other way to take care of his duties with the preparation of the defense.

As he entered the radio room, he ordered the soldiers to work on deciding on whom to send to where. The force going through Jachin Due had to be discreet and experienced since they had a lot of debris in their route. They can't risk any explosions that would alert the enemy. After about an hour, the coordinators were able to organize mostly everything. Another soldier came into the room. "Commander Jule, a few of the others requests a brief conference with you in the other room."

"Thanks, I'll be right there." Yzak entered the room to find Andy, Lacus, Kira, Athrun, Murrue, and Cagalli waiting for him.

"Something came up?" he asked them.

Andy spoke, "I looked up your supply of weapons in the past hour. It seems that the Eternal has been kept in one of the inaccessible hangars for a while. Any chance of getting it out?"

"The Eternal was stolen by you guys in the earlier war. We kept it as a reminder of how ZAFT got so easily corrupted and in a hard to exit hangar so it won't get stolen again. What do you plan to do with it?"

"I was thinking of taking it through the debris field with the others since the ArchAngel can't go."

Yzak thought for a moment. "That is a pretty good idea. We'll be able to get it out. At least you won't accidentally hit something like the others might do." Everyone broke out in a small laugh. "I give you, Andrew Bartfeldt command of the Eternal!"

"Thank you, Commander Jule."

Yzak nodded, "Sorry, but I have to get back to my duties now." They all saluted as he left.


	4. Departure

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

* * *

"Everyone, begin preparations for launching!" one of the loudspeakers echoed. "All soldiers to your stations!" People ran past the Eternal and the ArchAngel's crew who were finishing the last of the repairs and were nearly ready to launch.

"You have fifteen minutes before we're launching! I want you all on the ArchAngel by then!" Murrue said as everyone nodded and ran off to have a last talk with the others.

"Same goes for the Eternal!" Andrew yelled out. He turned to Murrue. "Seems that they got the Eternal out no problem. Commander Jule was trying to make us all nervous."

"Yeah…"

"Are you going to be okay?"

"I'll be fine," Murrue assured her friend. "I'm sure that we'll meet each other again soon, when this is over for good," she said as she saluted. Andrew nodded, saluted back, and began to walk away. "Wait!" Murrue called after him, who turned. "Be careful, okay?"

"Same goes for you." Murrue looked onward until he boarded the Eternal and then floated across to the ArchAngel.

Nearby, Kira and Lacus were watching the preparations near the Eternal. "Are you sure about this? You don't have to go with the Eternal. It would be safer in the PLANTs."

Lacus shook her head, "I need to go with them… and I will be there with you when we arrive. There's no need to worry."

Kira smiled. "I guess you're right. Take care then," he said as he gave her a kiss and waved as he drifted to the Freedom. Kira clutched the ring Lacus gave him the last time they parted, as he found himself inside Freedom once again.

"So, do you still have doubts about him being your brother?" Athrun asked Cagalli as they watched Kira leave Lacus.

"No, not anymore, but I'm still older."

Athrun laughed, "Okay." He thought for moment before speaking. "Hey, are you sure you want to go out in the Strike Rogue?"

"What's wrong with that? They've rebuilt it and I have to make sure you don't do something stupid like trying to kill yourself again."

"I'll try not to," Athrun said as they kissed. "Well, see you soon. Justice, Freedom, Duel, and Buster are escorting all the ships out since they're nuclear powered now and don't need to recharge."

…

"Welcome, Mr. Azrael," one of the officers said as Kogane entered the bridge of the newly built silvery ship, Lunarian. "We've gathered all our forces. Just give the order, and we can start heading for the PLANTs." Kogane nodded.

"Are you planning for a frontal assault sir?" another officer asked as Kogane sat down in the captain's seat. He was not going to risk a captain betraying him the way his brother's did on the Dominion.

"Yes, proceed."

"But isn't a direct attack obvious? They will be ready for us unless we took an alternate course and surprised them."

"We have enough forces and they are no match for us anyway," Kogane answered calmly. "They are just impurities to our world. I will say this again, proceed."

"For the preservation of our blue and pure world!" the crew agreed.

…

Miriallia desperately looked for Dearka. 'I only have ten minutes left. Why am I spending it looking for him?' she thought. She finally found him next to the Buster, suited up and ready to launch.

He noticed her and said a casual, "Hey, what's up?"

She sighed in relief and changed her tone to an annoyed one, "Why did you have to stand in a place that took me so long to find?"

"It isn't obvious that I'd be right next to the Buster?"

"No!" Apparently, she hadn't thought of that, being so intent in finding him.

"Sorry," Dearka said.

"Hey," Miriallia said as Dearka looked up. "You better not die. If you do, I'll never forgive you."

"Isn't that a bit too much pressure?" Miriallia glared at him, "Okay, I'll be careful. But the same goes for you."

"Thanks..." Dearka looked at her in surprise. "What? Is it odd to hear me say thanks?"

"No! Not at all!" he said nervously.

"I have something to tell you after this is over, so you better come back and hear it," Miriallia said, looking away.

"Don't worry, I will," Dearka said as he kissed Miriallia on the cheek and left her blushing vibrantly as he turned and entered Buster.

She watched until the cockpit closed and headed for the ArchAngel. "You have to come back, or else I wouldn't be able to bear it," she whispered as a tear trickled down her cheek. Recalling his promise, she wiped the tear away. "I know you won't let me down," she said confidently as Miriallia entered the ArchAngel and grasped on to one of the conveyor belts that carried her down to the bridge.

…

Dearka turned on the Buster and found that one of the buttons were flashing. He turned on the communication screen and saw Yzak.

"Took you long enough," Yzak said.

"Hey, I was busy."

"Sure."

"How's the improved Duel?" Dearka asked, attempting to change to subject. To his surprise, it worked.

"It's quite impressive. Duel should be a lot faster than before. It even has a neutron-jammer canceler in here."

"I get to use a beam sword for once…" Dearka said as he looked up the weaponry in Buster.

"Ha, I'd like to see that."

"I'll do better than when you first tried."

"Sure…" Yzak said sarcastically as Dearka glared at him through the screen.

The ships all slowly exited the hangars one by one. Dearka watched as the ArchAngel and the Eternal left. Yzak exited and then it was his turn.

"Dearka Elthman, Buster, launching!"


	5. Battle

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

* * *

"Mr. Azrael, sensors have spotted ZAFT forces!" The screen zeroed in on a mass of distant colored lights, revealing an organized mass of battleships and mobile suits. Among them were the anticipated ArchAngel and the Gundams. "Should we continue on our course, sir?"

"Yes, continue," Kogane said, slightly annoyed that they would even reconsider his commands. His subordinates shifted in their seats, uncomfortable under his watchful eyes. Their own fleet flew gracefully toward ZAFT without slowing. The soldiers of Gold Cosmos looked on in awe as the numerous ZAFT vessels grew in sight. Despite the large number of enemies, no one was too worried about losing for they had the one thing that assured a swift and complete victory: nukes.

A door behind them slid open and an officer floated silently to Kogane and whispered in his ear, "Your mobile suit is ready for launch, sir."

"Good," he answered. "Start deploying the mobile suits! We're about to start the annihilation of the Coordinators!" Azrael announced as he got off his seat and motioned for a nearby officer to take command.

Later, Kogane was sitting in the cockpit of Gold Cosmos's only nuclear powered mobile suit, the Apocalypse Gundam. It contained all the latest weaponry designed by Gold Cosmos, including two high-powered beam cannons and a plethora of sabers. To top it all off, Kogane ordered for a layer of gold paint to go on top.

"I will show you what it is to really fight for a pure world," Kogane thought as the catapult readied for launch. "Kogane Azrael, Apocalypse, launching!" he yelled into the speaker as the catapult activated and Apocalypse was sent hurtling outside into the prominent battlefield.

…

The ZAFT sensors went ballistic. "Commander Yzak, we have confirmation that three fourths of the enemy fleet are carrying nukes," one of the officers said into the speaker.

"Damn!" Yzak thought.

"This is going to tough, but we can handle it. Right?" Dearka's voice said on another speaker.

"Yeah, of course," Yzak replied, some of his confidence restored. One of his sensors started beeping and his screen zeroed in on a mobile suit launching from the command ship of the enemy forces. It was bright gold and unlike anything they've seen before.

"What is that?" Kira said to himself with the all communication channels to the other Gundam pilots opened.

"It must be nuclear powered like the Gundams," Athrun remarked.

The two forces drew closer and closer. "Commence level one battlestations!" Murrue yelled out. Both fleets opened the battle with a seemingly endless supply of missiles.

Dearka opened fire on a bunch of the missiles to defend the ArchAngel before firing his beam cannon at the nearest enemy battleship. Numerous other ships on both sides exploded in a display of fire and lights. The ZAFT fleet was slowly being pushed back.

"Where's the Eternal?" Dearka thought as he attempted to use his beam swords. Fortunately, he mastered the skill quite quickly much to Yzak's disapproval in the speaker.

"No!" Dearka heard Kira yell out. Gold Cosmos began launching the nukes at the PLANTs. At that moment, a barrage of cannons came from the other side and destroyed most of the nukes and ships. The Eternal made it.

"Kira! Athrun!" Lacus and Andrew called out. "Prepare to engage the Meteors!" The Justice and Freedom flew off to get the packs on, leaving some of the ships unprotected. Another swarm of nukes was fired. Yzak and Dearka were in the process of destroying the remaining nukes when a golden object blocked their fire. It was the unknown mobile suit they detected earlier.

Yzak and Dearka attempted to destroy Apocalypse while Kira and Athrun finally mounted the Meteors and got rid of the rest of the nukes. One of the lasers hit the Lunarian and the white command ship emitted an array of sparks, moved painfully forward for few more seconds, and collapsed, exploding.

"No!" yelled Kogane. "I will not lose!" He sliced at Yzak who was preoccupied with the destruction of the Lunarian and part of the Duel exploded.

"Yzak!" Dearka shouted as he drove off the Apocalypse.

"I'll be fine," Yzak said. "I'll go to the ArchAngel for repairs."

Dearka shielded Yzak from the rest of the gunfire as he boarded the ArchAngel.

…

Kogane yelled into the speaker, "Launch all nukes!"

"But sir! They won't make it to the PLANTs! There's too much interference!"

"Just do it!" The remaining nukes left the ships. Several collided with ZAFT and Gold Cosmos ships with the Gold Cosmos soldiers watching in bewilderment.

"Athrun!" Kira yelled and Athrun nodded in the screen. They destroyed the remaining nukes.

"They're fighting a losing battle," Cagalli silently told herself.

Pondering for a moment, Kira opened all channels of communication. "What are you doing Kira?" Cagalli asked.

"Trust me on this." Kira spoke into the radio, "Attention Gold Cosmos! If we continue fighting, then the killing would all be in vain! Please surrender and we can talk it over peacefully!"

"Can you not see and mourn for everyone who gave their lives? What you're doing is pointless. If we don't stop the hatred between Coordinators and Naturals, the war will never end!" Lacus joined in.

"Don't you dare surrender!" Kogane yelled.

Despite his command, one of the commanders came on screen. "Please acknowledge our surrender."

"Damn you all!" Kogane yelled. "I'll destroy all the Coordinators, even if I have to do it myself!" He shot at the ArchAngel and shouted in surprise and fury as the Buster blocked the shot with its shield.

"Buster's shield won't be able to block another beam," Dearka thought. "I have to end this as quickly as possible.

Failing at destroying the ArchAngel, Kogane turned the Apocalypse around and drove his beam saber into one of his own ships that had surrendered, slicing it in half. Kira and the others watched in horror. Kogane proceeded to destroy another one when Buster fired and blew up one of Apocalypse's arms.

"You dirty Coordinator! I'll kill you!" Kogane shouted insanely as he aimed Apocalypse's remaining arm with a cannon at the Buster. They fired at the same time and two explosions were seen from the ArchAngel.

"Dearka!" Yzak yelled out.

Miriallia looked on in horror, speechless. "It… can't be…" she whispered, tears filling her eyes. "He can't be… he couldn't have…" Miriallia stuttered and finally cried out, "Dearka!"


	6. Forever

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

* * *

"Dearka…" Miriallia's voice broke into sobs as the rest of ArchAngel's crew looked in horror. The smoke was immense and took forever to clear. It finally did clear and they saw the gold remains of the Apocalypse and pieces of dull gray metal that were obviously not from the Buster.

"What the…" Yzak muttered as the Buster came into sight, fully intact. 'I'm going to hit him for scaring me like that,' he thought as he sighed in relief. Miriallia looked up in bewilderment and smiled through her tears when she saw the unharmed Buster.

…

Dearka stared at the scene in front of him. "Gee, that was close," he said to himself as he leaned back in his seat. He looked at the battlefield cloaked with debris and scraps of gold armor. "I guess it's finally over." A few pieces of the gray remains of a Gold Cosmos ship drifted in front of him. "Thank you," Dearka said to the fallen ship. At that moment, Kira appeared on his screen.

"Are you alright? You gave us a scare."

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Great. Orders are to return to any one of the battleships so we can count our losses. They're going to negotiate a peace treaty later after we've all organized our forces."

"Okay," Dearka answered as Kira switched off the screen. He turned Buster around and flew for a nearby ZAFT ship, but after some hesitation, Dearka changed course and flew towards the ArchAngel. After a few minutes, he docked in the hangar. He exited the cockpit and after nodding to some of the crew, exited the hangar into an oxygen-filled room.

"Dearka!" Miriallia cried as he removed his helmet. She floated to him and he caught her in an embrace, dropping his helmet. "You idiot! You scared me!"

"Hey, didn't I promise you I'd come back?" Dearka asked teasingly.

"I just thought…" Miriallia started crying in relief. Dearka had no idea what to do and just held her reassuringly.

Yzak, who was watching nearby, laughed. "You've got a lot to learn."

"It's not like you know anything," Dearka retorted and after a few minutes of attempted glaring, all three of them broke down laughing. "You've got to tell us what happened. We all saw two explosions from the ArchAngel."

"Well… how about over some food? I'm hungry."

About fifteen minutes later, they were all eating in the mess hall. "It's like this…" Dearka started after taking a long sip from his drink. "We both fired and this nearby Gold Cosmos ship flew in front of me." He was quiet for a moment, deep in thought. "It's ironic. In the end, they died protecting a Coordinator when they had sworn to destroy all of us. Well… that's why you saw two explosions. One was the gold mobile suit from Gold Cosmos and the other was a Gold Cosmos battleship."

"I see…" Miriallia said to herself.

"By the way, when are these peace talks going to take place?" Dearka asked.

"Um… we're planning to hold a conference in 20 hours in the PLANTs," Yzak responded. "We're invited to attend and take place in the actual negotiations."

"The PLANTs? Are you sure about this? I mean, they just tried to kill us all earlier," Dearka said.

"I'm sure it'll be okay. The head of ZAFT suggested it after all." Yzak stood up, "Well, we all better start heading to Aprilius 1."

…

Kira and Lacus walked across a park on the PLANT, Aprilius 1. "Well, we still have half an hour," Lacus said. "Do you want to walk by the lake?"

"Sure," Kira responded softly as she took his hand and led him to the lake. They sat down on the grass, observing the peaceful scene.

"Is it going to finally be over?" Lacus asked as she played with a flower she had picked.

"I think it's for real this time."

"That's a good thing to hear." Lacus leaned her head against Kira's shoulder. He put an arm around her. "Peace is coming."

…

Athrun quickly ducked behind a tree to shield himself from sight of the lake. "What's wrong?" Cagalli asked. "Come on, we only have fifteen minutes left."

"It's Kira and Lacus. I think it's best if no one disturbs them. Lets go to the other side of the lake. There are more trees there."

"Hey, what?" Cagalli asked and Athrun grabbed her hand and they ran off. Finally concealed from sight. Athrun turned to her.

"I… um…" Athrun muttered.

"Naw, you don't have to say it," Cagalli said as she kissed him, causing him to blush fervently.

"Okay, I won't," Athrun whispered as he kissed her back. They stopped. "I'm glad you're alive."

"You're the one who's most likely to have died," Cagalli turned around, blushing.

"Ha, maybe you're right." They started laughing together. "I think it's time to go back." The two headed back towards the building where the conference was going to take place. Kira and Lacus joined them.

…

Dearka glanced at his watch. "Uh oh, only five minutes left." He looked over at Miriallia, who had been staring out at the park. The entrance to the conference room was just in front of them and nearly everyone was inside, waiting for the last five minutes to pass. "Did you want to tell me something earlier?" Miriallia nodded, still looking out the window.

She finally started to say something, but Dearka couldn't catch the words. "What?" he asked, walking over the window and standing next to her.

"I… I love you," she finally said, loud enough for only him to hear.

Dearka turned slightly red and answered, "What a coincidence, I love you too."

"Take this seriously!" Miriallia said, looking away and blushing vibrantly.

"I am," Dearka whispered as he took her hand gently turned her face with his other hand to face him. They kissed and after over a year, she felt as if her heart had truly fully healed.

Yzak opened the door slightly, "Hey you two, conference's starting. Are you coming in or not?"

"We're coming," Dearka said as Miriallia and he walked into the conference room, hand in hand.

"It's finally over," Miriallia whispered.

"Yes, it is," Dearka whispered back.

…

The peace talks went quite well to everyone's surprise, and the chains of hatred that held the Naturals and Coordinators apart were broken. The war was over, and production of armaments on both sides was ceased forever. Kira continued living with Lacus in the PLANTs and Athrun and Cagalli returned to Orb, where they rebuilt the nation. Miriallia decided to stay with Dearka in the PLANTs, where together, they both worked towards the goal of maintaining absolute peace between the Coordinators and Naturals. The war was finally over, forever…

The End


End file.
